Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, argues in his book "Restoring Childhood" that the loss of unstructured, unsupervised play has driven increases in teen anxiety, depression, and suicide. Gray blames achievement pressure, specifically the Common Core State Standards introduced around 2010, rather than social media for teens' mental health challenges. He attributes mental health improvements from 1990 to 2010 to increased computer and video game use.
However, researchers dispute Gray's central claims. Test-based accountability did not begin in 2010 but started in many states during the 1980s and 1990s and became federal policy in 2002 with No Child Left Behind. Most states formally adopted Common Core around 2010, but instructional materials took years to update, and aligned tests were not in place until 2015. Gray provides insufficient evidence that Common Core was the chief cause of increased anxiety disorders, depression, and suicide.
Additionally, research suggests a teen mental health crisis may be overstated. According to national surveys, teens aged 12 to 17 are less likely to suffer anxiety and depression than adults in their 20s and 30s. Young adults aged 18 to 29 are more than twice as likely as teens to suffer these challenges. A recent survey asked teens to identify factors negatively affecting their mental health. Achievement pressure ranked first at 30 percent, followed by concerns that "things are falling apart" (28 percent), lacking necessary skills (28 percent), and financial worries (27 percent). Thirty-four percent of teens report lacking meaning or purpose in their lives.
Family circumstances remain the largest determinant of children's mental health. Maternal depression appears to be rising over 15 years, and depressed teens are about five times more likely to have a depressed parent. Other research points to lack of sleep due to early school start times, weaker family and community ties, and family economic stress as contributing factors.